Meet the Candidates For Red Sox Nation President

RemDawg and Gammons

Last night, the Boston Red Sox held the “Meet the Candidates” as they look to elect the first President of Red Sox Nation. Some of the candidates you might have heard of, Jerry Remy, Peter Gammons, Sam Horn, and Paul “Fitzy” Fitzgerald. Many others of the 25 you might not have.

Either way, the candidates were onhand at Game On to talk about their platforms. Only Fitzy and RemDawg weren’t there last night, although RemDawg sent Russ Kenn from NESN to act as his proxy. The winner of the election gets the following:

  • Four tickets to 10 games in 2008
  • A ceremonial first pitch before a game in 2008
  • A suite for one regular season game in 2008
  • A trip to Spring Training with a guest
  • Official business cards
  • A credential to allow entry for all 2008 regular season games
  • Periodic appearances on NESN/WRKO
  • A redsox.com e-mail address
  • A MLBlog on redsox.com
  • Periodic meetings with Red Sox senior executives
  • Official spokesperson reacting to Red Sox news
  • Unofficial spokesperson reacting to Red Sox news to the media

Next up now according to redsox.com is the campaign where the candidates will given a blog to demonstrate why they should be president. Then the top 3 candidates will picked and a general election will be held on redsox.com.

SOX & Dawgs has not decided who to back yet but we will announce that in due time.

 

The Hit’s Keep Coming… Tonight at 7 PM

Bloggers Anthony of the Oriole Post and Jason of My Baseball Bias and I produce an hour long baseball show every week called, “The Hits Keep Coming” on Blog Talk Radio and MVN radioEvery week at 7PM Eastern Time (6PM Central/ 5PM Mountain/ 4PM Western/Pacific) we chat, analyze and comment about the world of Major League Baseball.

If you’d like to call in, the phone number is 718-664-6564 or you can send us an instant message if you use AOL IM at hitskeepcoming20. Join us at: http://blogtalkradio.com/oriolepost or http://mvn.com/radio at 7PM Eastern Time tonight!

Save Tiger Stadium

Tiger Stadium, unknown year

Ernie Harwell, the longtime former radio voice of the Detroit Tigers, is making a attempt to save the venerable Tiger Stadium on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.  Harwell has started a “Save Tiger Stadium” movement as a last ditch effort before the stadiums planned demolition by the public-private partnership the Detroit Economic Developement Group.

The city council voted 5-4 on July 27th to allow the group to raze the structure. 

Harwell, along with attorney S. Gary Spicer, have been given until October 1st by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to hear ther plan before proceding with the demolition plans.  The stadium which has stood since 1912, saw its last Tigers game in 1999.  In 2000 Tigers owner Mike Illitch moved the team to the brand new Comerica Park. 

Harwell in the booth at Tiger StadiumHarwell, who called Tigers game for 42 years, envisions a renovated and revived Tiger Stadium as a venue for boxing, amatuer football and amatuer baseball with 10,000 to 14,000 seats bringing the capacity closer to the orginal of 23,000.  Tiger Stadiums capacity was 52,416 when it closed.

“In America, we have a tendency to knock down anything that’s over 30 years old and make a parking lot out of it,” the 89-year-old Hall of Fame member said Tuesday. “Whereas in Europe, they preserve all these beautiful buildings and structures that have a history. I sort of like the European approach.”

Tiger Stadium during a gameTiger Stadium post closing

Tiger StadiumTiger Stadium from the mound to the plate

Red Sox News & Notes – 8/22

 

Lester, Lugo and Papi/APThe Sox offense came through on a night where Jon Lester wasn’t at his best. The Sox won the game 8-6 on the on the strength of a 5-run 4th inning. Jonathan Papelbon was extremely nasty in getting 3 strikeouts in his 1 1/3 innings. No Eric Gagné out of the bullpen last night even though he was available. Maybe Francona has seen enough of him although the scary thing is that it will be him and Mike Timlin available at the end of the game tonight. The Sox win coupled with the Yanks getting shellacked by the Angels, puts the lead back in the AL East at 6 games. A little breathing room is nice but about 4 more games between them would be even better. Before Dice-K takes his warmup pitches at the Trop, let’s take a look at what the scribes from the Boston and Tampa areas had to say about last night’s game and other happenings.

Same Old Combo Made To Order [Hartford Courant]

Rays Fall Behind Early To Red Sox [Tampa Tribune]

Sunshine state [Boston Globe]

A hole dug just deep enough [St. Petersburg Times]

Sox, Papelbon seal the deal against D-Rays [Pro Jo]

Sox pick up Lester: Lefty scuffles, but bats, ’pen shine [Boston Herald]

A Draft Warms Them Up [Hartford Courant]

Kazmir Frustrated With Pitch-Count Policy [Tampa Tribune]

New pitch, same story for Papelbon [Boston Globe]

Schilling shows Rays some love [St. Petersburg Times]

Schilling ponders free agent future [Boston Herald]

Lester didn’t feel like winner after inconsistent showing [Pro Jo]

Close quarters in Sox ’pen [Boston Herald]

For more headlines and stories, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Hartford Courant, Providence Journal, St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

Sox Battle Their Way to 8-6 Win

 

Jon Lester struggled tonight but luckily for him his offense got him the necessary runs as the Red Sox held off the Devil Rays for a 8-6 win at Tropicana Field. Lester had some control issues again but a 5-run 4th inning was the difference for the Sox as they battered D’Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine.

Youk scoring in 1st/ReutersThe boys wasted no time getting on the Trop scoreboard. After Sonnanstine struck out Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis hit a double to deep center. David Ortiz brought him with a triple to make it 1-0 Sox. No that’s not a typo. Big Papi wasn’t on third that long as Manny Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly and after four batters it was 2-0 Sox. Sonnanstine got Mike Lowell to fly out to end the top half of the 1st.

Tampa Bay struck right back in the first. After Lester got the first two outs, he issued a walk to B.J. Upton. And just like the old adage says, walks will hurt you. And it did as Carlos Peña crushed a ball for a 2-run homer and just like that it was 2-2. Lester would finish the inning off with a strikeout of Delmon Young.

Things stayed quiet until the 4th inning when the visiting nine struck again. Big Papi reached on an infield single. Sonnastine got Manny to strikeout and then plunked Lowell. J.D. Drew singled to load up the bases for Jason Varitek. Varitek delivered in a run with single, reloading the bases for Coco Crisp. Coco got a hold of Sonnastine pitch and sent it down the first base line that was good for a double and two more Sox runs, making it 5-0. Lugo followed Crisp’s double with one his own that scored Varitek and Coco, giving the Red Sox a 7-2 lead.

Jon Lester/APLester was pitching well after the first. It took until the 5th inning for the D’Rays to get their second hit of the night, a 1-out single by Jonny Gomes. With Josh Wilson at the plate, Gomes went to second on a Lester wild pitch. Wilson would end up walking. Lester then got the second out of the inning as Dioner Navarro hit into a fielder’s choice that retired Wilson at second. Akinori Iwamura then hit a flyball that looked easily caught but it traveled into the first row of seats in left field for a 3-run homer. It cut the Red Sox lead to 7-5. After Lester gave up a single to Carl Crawford, he struck out Upton to escape any further damage.

With his pitch count pretty high, Lester came back out for the 6th inning on a very short leash. He got the first out of the inning but then walked Young and that ended his night as Terry Francona summoned Manny Delcarmen from the bullpen. Delcarmen got out of the inning quickly as he induced a double play by Brendan Harris. The play was eerily similar to the other day as Harris’ bat broke and the barrel went right at Lowell. Lowell, unlike Youkilis, was able to stay focused on the ball and start the double play.

Lester went 5 1/3 innings, giving up 4 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks and he struck out 4.

In the 7th, the Sox added another run. Pedroia led off the inning with a double and went to third on a Youk fly out to right. Big Papi was the second out of the inning as he grounded out to second, with Pedroia staying at third. Manny followed the Big Papi out by reaching on an error by Harris that allowed Pedroia to score, making it 8-5 Sox. Lowell then hit a single. After a pitching change by the Devil Rays, newly into the game Grant Balfour struck out Drew.

The D’Rays got that run right back in their half of the 7th. After Delcarmen struck out Gomes, he plunked Wilson. He then got Navarro to ground out to Youk at first as Wilson moved to second. Iwamura drew a walk and that brought out Francona once again, this time bringing in Hideki Okajima. Okajima got Crawford to hit a line drive to Pedroia but the ball bounced off of the thumb of Pedroia’s glove for an error with Wilson scoring from second. The error by Pedroia cut the lead to 8-6. Okie got out of the inning by striking out Upton.

The Red Sox went quietly in the 8th and 9th innings as all they could manage was a single and a walk. Okie started out the 8th (isn’t that supposed to be Eric Gagné time) and walked Peña. He followed the walk by getting Young and Harris out. Not wanting to overuse Okie, Tito summoned Jonathan Papelbon from them bullpen. Paps was lights out as he threw some high cheese by the bat of Gomes for the final out.

 

Papelbon started out the 9th by striking out pinch-hitter Greg Norton and Navarro. Papelbon closed out the game as he got Iwamura to pop out to Lugo for his 30th save. With that save, Papelbon becomes the first Sox closer to record 30 saves in back-to-back seasons and the first two have 30 in any two seasons.

 

The Sox hand the ball to Daisuke Matsuzaka tomorrow to try and finish a sweep of the Devil Rays. Dice-K has lost twice to them this season, but I am sensing good things tomorrow.

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Get Carter

Chris CarterAnd I don’t mean the lawyers.

The Wily Mo Peña era is officially over now in Boston. The Red Sox received their PTNBL from the Washington Nationals today. The Nationals sent over Chris Carter, 1B/OF, who they just acquired from the Diamondbacks for Emilio Fruto.

With the Diamondbacks Triple-A, the Tucson Sidewinders, he was hitting .324 with 18 home runs and 84 RBIs. He has 163 hits on the season. Last year with the Sidewinders, he hit .301 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs.

I would have to think that the Red Sox are going to send him to Triple-A Pawtucket to finish the season. He doesn’t have to be protected on the Sox 40 man roster so for him to be called up in September, his contract would have to be purchased.

David LeFort has a good point on Extra Bases. Is this the end of the Mike Lowell era? Could the Sox move Youk to third and give Carter a chance to win the job at first next year. And what if AROD opts out, what do the Red Sox do. Personally, I’d like to see Lowell back with the Sox but if given a chance to get AROD, by all means go for it.

Oh and by the way, WMP has hit two homeruns with the Nationals, including a monstrous blast on Sunday at RFK.

Do You Want to Own Big Papi’s Car?

 

How would you like to own Big Papi’s car? Right now, you would put in a bid that’s higher than $169,500. That’s right, Big Papi is putting up his 2005 Mercedes-Benz: SL-Class SL65 AM up for bid on Ebay. From the Ebay posting:

Not only are you securing your chance to sit behind the wheel of what critics have referred to as the “fantasy convertible” but this is a chance to own a piece of Red Sox history. This dream car belongs to David Ortiz, aka Big Papi, of the Boston Red Sox. This was a gift to himself after winning the 2004 World Series and was his prized possession over the past two years. This car has been pampered for its short life, taking Big Papi back and forth to Fenway Park. The car has a little over 4,000 miles on it and has been always dealer serviced and is in immaculate, showroom condition.

This SL65 AMG features a powerful 6.0- liter 12-cylinder, twin-turbo charged engine, hand built following AMG’s one-man-one-engine philosophy for unparalleled quality and workmanship. Supplemented by 738 lb.-ft. of torque, the SL65 boasts 604 horsepower and rockets from 0-60 in just over four seconds. This car is a real head turner and has many additional options including custom aero kit, including Lorinser Fenders. The car is sitting on 20″ Lowenhart LSR wheels wrapped with Contintental Sport Contact Tires. This car cost David over $205,000 when it was purchased and then he spent another $35,000 in aftermarket accessories. This car has been featured in DUB magazine and won the 2006 award for Best Celebrity Car.

This car will be hand delivered at Fenway Park to the lucky winner of this auction by Big Papi, himself. He will bring you your new car with keys and title in hand.

Good luck and happy bidding.

All I can say is that is one fine car. Who wants to pool their money together and purchase it with me. Any takers?

SOX & Dawgs Presents Tidbits from the College Gridiron

SOX & Dawgs Presents Tidbits from the Gridiron

First, we brought you ‘In the Red Zone’ about the Patriots and the NFL, then we brought you ‘Paw Prints’ about the big 3 sports at UCONN, now we bring you ‘Tidbits from the Gridiron’ about college football. With Steve being the primary contributor to ‘In the Red Zone’ and me being a huge college football fan, I felt I needed to contribute something from the college football ranks. Alot of you are huge college football fans, so I thought this was something people would like to see. Don’t get me wrong, the main features of this blog will still be the beloved Boston Red Sox and UCONN Huskies. It’s just when you are a huge fan of something, you want to express your feelings about it and let people know what’s going on out there. And what better way to do it then right here on SOX & Dawgs.

Every Tuesday I will bring you the latest college football news and polls with links to the stories you want to hear. So without further adieu, let’s get this party started. And as much as I hate Notre Dame football (Sorry Steve), I am leading off with them.

Heralded Notre Dame freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen received a citation for transporting alcohol according the Associated Press. Clausen had driven a 23-year old friend to purchase alcohol, which I guess is a no-no in the state of Indiana. Clausen will have that wiped from his record if he stays out of trouble for a year and completes the pre-trial diversion program. He also had to pay a $170 fine. Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis said “it was an honest mistake” and wouldn’t discipline Clausen.

My friend Brian isn’t too happy right now as two of his Iowa Hawkeye’s receivers, Dominque Douglas and Anthony Bowman, have been arrested on charges of unauthorized use of a credit card. The pair charged over $2,000 from the unidentified victims’ accounts. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has suspended the two from the team indefinitely. Douglas was the team’s leading receiver last season.

Starting in 2008, “The U” will start playing it’s home games at Dolphin Stadium. University of Miami president Donna Shalala said the trustee’s made the decision to move because it will generate more money for “The U”.

Former University of Hawai’i receiver Ian Sample claims that university officials and players manipulated mandated drug tests. School officials are investigating his claims and head coach June Jones says these allegations aren’t true.

Two West Virginia University possible starters for the football team were arrested on charges of transferring and receiving stolen property. Ellis Lankster and J.T. Thomas allegedly stole a laptop computer and 32 inch tv. West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez has now instituted an 11 PM curfew.

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